Listening to the Word

  Romans 1-4   “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:20, 21 Abraham waited fourteen years for God’s promise of a son through Sarah. His impatience at the wait resulted in Ishmael being conceived through Hagar. It was fourteen years after the birth of Ishmael that Isaac was born to Sarah. What was God doing in Abraham’s life of faith during those years? Scripture affirms God was strengthening Abraham’s faith in God and God’s promise. When we abort God’s timing, we testify to our fear and need to control. When we wait on God’s timing, we experience strengthened faith and this faith brings glory to God. What has God promised us? What is God accomplishing in us through the waiting process? Our journey of faith is not about manipulating circumstances and people to reach our fulfillment, but about the development of fa...

1 Timothy 4-5; 2 Thessalonians 4-5 “…for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape…For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3, 9 The day of the Lord is anticipated by those who have received salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the day of Christ’s second coming and the inauguration of the fullness of his “kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10). For those who have rejected the Gospel and attempted to find salvation in peace and safety, that day will be one of ultimate accountability before their Creator God. Are we living with anticipation and hope for that day, or with fear and dread? Until that day we have a mission and a message. Are we clear what those are? “Lord Jesus, I anticipate your return and yet I cry out to you for...

  Matthew 28; 1 Thessalonians 1-3   “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 Our identity as Christ followers is rooted in our baptism into the name of the Father, into the name of the Son, and into the name of the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian theology established the identity of the early Church. In the Church today, we’ve drifted from our full understanding and relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some denominations appreciate and teach some aspects of the Trinity, but rarely all three. Other denominations root their distinctive identity on particular teachings of Christ, for example, his call to love our enemies, but they ignore the broader New...

  Psalms 125; Matthew 26-27   “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” Psalm 125:1, 2 The central attraction on Mount Zion was the temple of the Lord. Jesus said he was able to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, a declaration that was repeated at his trial. We now know Jesus was referring to his body as a temple of the Lord. Paul uses the same picture to call God’s people to honor God with their bodies which are also temples for his presence. We are like Mount Zion; the temples of our bodies contain the living presence of God through the Holy Spirit. When trouble or testing comes, it is the Holy Spirit within us that brings strength and peace. God’s presence surrounds us, but more importantly, his Spirit indwells us. That was what excited Christ at the last supper. The same intimacy he enjoyed with God the Father wo...

  Matthew 23-25   “Everything they do is done for men to see:’…’Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.’” Matthew 23:5, 25 The temptation for those in leadership in the Church is to find identity in positions, rather than in Christ’s love and grace. Some have said the modern Pharisees and teachers of the law are the Evangelicals. We defend the inerrancy of Scripture, but selectively practice what it says. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law for their greed and self-indulgence. They used their positions, influence, and authority for self-enrichment and status. We, too, can fall into the same pattern when the Church becomes an institution focused on spectator/performance, rather than on a missional movement. When Jesus is our leader and we are all disciples who live on mission, there is less room for positional authority or pride. As servants o...

Matthew 20-22   “About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’” Matthew 20:6, 7 In Christ’s parable about employment in the vineyard, why are people standing around all day in the market place? They don’t have clarity on their assignment. They also might not know the voice of the landowner. How many Christians around the world are also “standing around” in a spectator model of Church where if you don’t play an instrument, preach, or usher, there isn’t a job for you? Why have we limited our service to Sunday morning assignments of ministry involvements in which Church leadership invite us to serve? If we know the voice of the Lord of the harvest, and are fully surrendered to his authority, there is work to be done in his kingdom today. Jesus is building his Church and there is ...

  Matthew 17-19   “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Matthew 17:5 The words the Father spoke to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration were almost identical to the words he spoke to those gathered at Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River. Are they similar to the words we hear the Spirit speaking to us? The Father loves us, is pleased with us, and has named us as his sons and daughters. We belong to him. Do we ever tire of hearing this? The disciples were terrified when they heard the words spoken on top of the mountain. As they walked with God following Pentecost, they heard those words countless times within their own spirit. With the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and relating to our spirit, we don’t need to climb a mountain to hear the Father (John 14:23). The Father’s Word and Spirit counsel us when he is ‘at home’ within our lives. Are we...

Matthew 14-16 “Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:17, 18 When we belong to our Father in heaven he has the privilege of giving us new names. Names which reflect our best contributions and how he sees us in his kingdom. At Pentecost, ‘Peter the Rock’ had the privilege of preaching the first public sermon to the Churches. He later participated in the dramatic healing of a crippled man at the temple. These were both foundational events in the life of the early Church. Peter’s name became prophetic as the rock became foundational to the growth of the Church. What has God name us? Do we know our best contribution in Christ’s kingdom? We will need the clarity and confirmation of God’s perspective on our lives if we are to live on mission with him and face the forces of Hades....

Matthew 11-13 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it…But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? then he can rob his house.” Matthew 11:12; 12:28, 29 A fulfilled life with a happy, loving family is not what Christ is calling us to. While that might become the fruit of our discipleship choices, Jesus is calling all disciples to surrender their family, their education, and their vocations to him. As disciples of Christ we must daily choose to die to self and this world in our obedience and devotion to him. Those who “lose their life” for Christ’s sake, find life of another kind. This new life of loving surrender to Jesus transforms all our family relationships, vocational goals, education, and service into worship-filled obedience...

Matthew 8-10   “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:37-39 Christ is not calling us to a fulfilled life and happy, loving family. While that might become the fruit of our discipleship choices, Jesus is calling his disciples to surrender family, education, and vocation to him.   We daily die to self and this world by our obedience and devotion to him. Those who “lose their life” for Christ’s sake, find life of a greater dimension. This new life of loving surrender to Jesus transforms all our family relationships, vocational goals, education, and service into worship-filled obedience to Christ. We can’t love both Christ and this world. “Lord Jesus, I surrender all my relationships, commitments, and lif...

  Matthew 5-7 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:44, 45 Why would God want us to love and bless our enemies? Loving our enemies is one of the ways God uses us as ambassadors of reconciliation. The reality that we are a new creation in Christ, filled with the presence of God and carrying his DNA, is evidenced   by our love for enemies. Loving our enemies is heaven’s paternity test. We evidence who our Father is through how we respond to enemies who oppose us in our witness for Christ, our cultural background, or for any other reason. We pray for our enemies because our Father wants to heal them, forgive them, and free them from all bondage and fear. How many enemies of the Church and the Gospel are waiting to experience the love of God so they, like Paul, can be transformed into a...

Matthew 1-4   “…At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16, 17 The Father loves and communicates his pleasure with his sons and daughters who know him. Are we listening for his voice through the Spirit he has given us? So many of us are much more familiar with the voice of our favorite podcast speaker or radio personalities. The Father alone can speak to our identity, value, and purpose in his kingdom. If we don’t hear those words from our heavenly Father, we will try to make a name for ourselves through our accomplishments, beauty, or knowledge. The door to heaven’s throne room has been opened by the blood of Christ; it’s a “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20). As we boldly approach the throne of grace, we can hear the Father’s love and pleasure for us. He desires our relationship as much as his Son. “Lord God, thank...

  Psalms 124; 2 Corinthians 11-13   “…if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” 2 Corinthians 11:4 In ‘high cost’ Gospel contexts, where new followers of Christ are rejected by their families and lose employment because of their faith in Christ, they are often more willing to share the Gospel than in ‘low cost’ contexts. Why is that? Is there more than one Gospel? Paul warns the Corinthians there are other ‘Jesus’’ and other spirits and other gospels that can deceive us.   Are our ‘western Jesus’ and ‘western gospel’ true to the biblical truths we see in Scripture? For marketing purposes, are we putting up with a reduction of the Gospel that ignores Christ’s call to those who would call themselves his disciples and deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow him? Have we formulated a s...

2 Corinthians 7-10   “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us…” 2 Corinthians 10:12, 13 When our identity and self-worth are based on performance, we are quick to compare ourselves to others and to our prior performance. This comparison-based way of life and ministry fuels pride, fear, and insecurity. Paul viewed a comparison-based approach to life and ministry as dangerous and unwise. When our full identity comes from our relationship as sons and daughters of God, deeply loved by him, we are free and content to serve within the limits of his assignment for our lives. We are also free to celebrate and bless the faithfulness of others without comparison. In what way is the Lord inviting us to new freedom from patterns of compar...

  2 Corinthians 3-6 “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 1 Corinthians 3:2, 3 It’s a humbling truth that our ministry is evidenced in the lives of those we are serving and pointing to Jesus. It is the Spirit of the living God that does the writing on their hearts and it is the Spirit of the living God who does the work of transformation; but, we are the ambassadors of truth God uses in the process.   What would people, who look only at the lives of those in whom we have invested, discover or learn about what we believe? Paul’s dependency was on the Spirit of God to reproduce Christ’s DNA in those he was teaching and discipling, even as Paul himself was experiencing ongoing transformation from glory to glory. How closely do those in whose lives w...

Job 41-42; 2 Corinthians 1-2   “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.” 2 Corinthians 1:6   When we live in full surrender to God’s will on mission with him, even our distress and difficulties in mission are redeemed and used by the Lord for his glory. Paul’s example of enduring opposition and sufferings for the sake of the Gospel was an example to the Corinthian Church as they dealt with sin and Church discipline. Sometimes our distress and difficulties are meant to produce patient endurance in both ourselves and those who can relate to our journey of discipleship in mission. We will need that character of patient endurance in the upcoming assignments the Lord is giving to us.   Can he trust us with greater kingdom responsibilities and authority which often come with greater spiritual attacks and temptations? Humility, patient endura...

  Psalms 149; 1 Corinthians 15-16   “…I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you…on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 The Scriptures point to Christ’s death and resurrection as the basis for our salvation, rather than any religious behavior or good deeds on our part. This Gospel is what we stand on in the marketplace of ideas and each day as we submit to God and resist temptation and evil. There is a battle for this Gospel and for our salvation, making it critical for us to be reminded to hold firmly to it. Other beliefs and teachings about salvation, the source of life, and the nature of sin and evil would like to replace our s...

Job 39-40; 1 Corinthians 13-14   “…if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming ‘God is really among you.’” 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25 Paul’s point is that we often arrive at our awareness of our need for God by demonstrations of his supernatural presence in the lives of Christ followers. Those supernatural expressions of God’s presence could be through unexplainable love when anger or hatred would seem natural. God’s presence could also be expressed in the sensitivity of God’s people to what he is speaking to bring strengthening, encouragement, and comfort when needed. This prophetic anointing transforms meetings of every kind to become places where we hear from the Lord. The reality of God’s presence changes a room! Christianity is more than ethical goodness; it is l...

Job 37-38; 1 Corinthians 12 “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers…” 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27, 28 Why does Paul emphasize our unity in the body of Christ through one Spirit, even as he explains the diversity of spiritual gifts and functions in the Church? Our identity comes from our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not from our spiritual gifts or functions. When God appoints apostolic-ally gifted leaders, they can claim no greater value to God than those serving faithfully with less visible gifts. Our new identity as sons and daughters of God is received as we are baptized by one Spirit into one body. The love and security we experience in God then give us the faith and confidence to risk serving and growing i...

Psalms 122; 1 Corinthians 9-11   “…I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings…even as I try to please everybody in every way…For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved…” 1 Corinthians 9:22, 23; 10:33 The cost of the Gospel was the death of Christ; the cost of living the Gospel is our death to self. The cost of sharing the Gospel and ‘fishing for men’ is the willingness to meet people where they are – “becoming all things to all men”. When we are dead, we can try to please everybody without being controlled by them. When we live not for our own good, but for the good of many as defined by Christ, we are living with love. Contextual mission requires us to start where people are, not where we want them to be. The blessing of the Gospel then includes the privilege of seeing lives transformed and deep friendships formed within the fa...

  Job 35, 36; 1 Corinthians 7-8   “Be assured my words are not false; one perfect in knowledge is with you…if men are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction, he tells them what they have done – that they have sinned arrogantly. He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil. If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.” Job 36:4, 8-11 This counsel from Job’s friend Elihu is the seemingly logical, yet false gospel that if you serve God, everything in life will go well for you. If your life is difficult, then you must have done something to displease God. We only need to point to the persecution of the early Church, the apostle Paul, and countless faithful Christians around the world today to debunk this heresy. Becoming a disciple of Jesus who lives on mission is costly. It is the only way to possess our eternal inheritance, but the rewards rarely come in our time on ear...

Job 34; 1 Corinthians 4-6   “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful…I have applied these things to myself and Apollos…” 1 Corinthians 4:1, 2, 6 Paul’s response to the Corinthian factions concerning leaders who have influenced them was to call them back to Christ as their focus. Leaders in the Church must be servants of Christ first. We must steward both the authority and the knowledge God has given us as a sacred trust. The empowerment of the Spirit requires us to continually surrender to the Lord’s will and way. Only God can reveal his kingdom purposes and bring lasting transformation to lives. Leadership in Christ’s kingdom is a daily exercise in radical dependency and faithful discipleship. The pride of comparisons, competition, and selfish ambition has no place in Christ’s kingdom or his leaders. Where is the Lord inviting us to humb...

  Job 33; 1 Corinthians 1-3 “…we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:7, 10 The training institutions of our world offer us the wisdom of this world as accumulated over the ages. We spend time reading, reflecting on, and writing about these ideas, methods, and accomplishments. How do we learn about God’s wisdom? Paul says it’s revealed by the Holy Spirit who both knows the mind of God and knows us. Learning to value time in unbroken fellowship with God, in his presence, free from the interference of sin, we experience the privilege of learning wisdom from God. The Holy Spirit’s questions to us unlock insights and new perspectives. The amazing privilege of daily learning wisdom and revelation from the Word and the Spirit is our privilege as sons and daughters of the King. As we spend ti...

Job 31-32; Galatians 5-6   “…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love…The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:6, 14 In the midst of a theologically focused letter to the Church in Galatia, addressing their regressive slide back into the ‘works-righteousness’ model of living under the Mosaic law, Paul refocuses the attention of the Church on loving one another, practically. We can sometimes become so distracted by theological debate that we forget the primacy of love in all things. We might be theologically right, but expressing our beliefs in ways that are wrong. By refocusing attention on love, Paul puts the debate about circumcision in its broader and essential context. Are we loving our neighbors and sharing the Gospel with them, both in word and deed? Are we growing in Christ-like character? “Lord Jesus, renew your love in me for your mission and glory.”

Job 30; Psalms 120; Galatians 3-4   “…Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?...Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” Galatians 3:2, 3, 5 The evidence of whether we are in Christ as members of God’s family is not based on our Church attendance, or our ability to remember the Ten Commandments. We belong to Christ based on our faith in his finished work of atonement for us on the cross, evidenced through our current, personal experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The repeated proof Paul returns to in this passionate call to the Galatian Church, to reject the law and return to righteousness through faith in Christ, is the evidence of God’s Spirit in our lives in miraculous, fruit-filled ways.   Let’s stop to consider ourselves, is the Holy ...

Job 28-29; Galatians 1-2   “Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead – and all the brothers and sisters with me. To the churches in Galatia:” Galatians 1:1, 2 Why was it important for Paul to clarify at the outset of his letter to the Galatians that he was sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father? Apostles are those who are sent. It was with the authority of the One who sends them that they would write and speak. Paul was writing to clarify and correct the understanding by the Galatian Churches of the Gospel, the essence of their salvation. The stakes were big.   Would the Galatians slide back into a ‘works-righteousness’ version of Judaism, or continue to live by faith and grace alone? Paul and all those who live on mission with Jesus must be clear whose authority they are living under and with. The stakes of our message and ministry are eternal. Do we know who has sent us and what he has sent us to...

  Job 26-27; Mark 15-16   “One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ‘Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,’ he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Mark 15:36-38 The sponge used to deliver wine vinegar to Jesus’ lips was probably a toilet sponge taken from the waste bucket of the Roman soldiers. The Romans used sponges in their public baths. This final humiliation was followed by a loud cry as Christ breathed his last breath. Jesus bore the sin, shame, and humiliation of the world to atone for our sin. But more than that, he atoned for our sin so we could experience a “new and living way” into the very presence of almighty God (Hebrews 10:20). The curtain of the temple was torn as Christ’s final cry “It is finished” echoed over Golgotha. Sin was swallowed up in victory and death was defeated by resurrection life. Chris...

Job 25: Mark 13-14   “While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.” Mark 14:3 Jesus was anointed for burial in the home of a leper named Simon who had been healed. John’s Gospel tells us it was Mary who anointed Jesus and that her resurrected brother Lazarus was also present. The signs of the kingdom of God were present as Jesus was covered in nard. This sacrifice of generosity and worship required the container to be broken and poured out, the same requirement for each of us who choose to know and follow Jesus. We, too, live with the signs of Christ’s kingdom rule around us as expressed in his saving, healing, and delivering kingdom authority. Will we be one of those who argue about the use of money, or those who sacrifice all for Christ? “Lord Jesus, I love you and sacrifice what I have to you, for...

  Job 23-24; Mark 11-12 “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:10-12 Job’s relationship with God was through the Holy Spirit, probably unaided except by Scripture. Job knew how to listen, obey, and sacrifice for the atonement of sin.   How closely could we say we are following the promptings of God’s Spirit each day? Job treasured the words he heard from God more than his daily food. Moses understood the same reality of God’s voice feeding his soul when he explained God’s refining purposes for Israel in the wilderness journey out of Egypt (Deuteronomy 8:3). As he resisted the devil during his wilderness testing, Jesus quoted this verse.   When we are being refined, are we, too, valuing God’s Word to us more than our da...

Psalms 121; Mark 9-10   “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth…The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:1, 2, 7, 8 Rather than lift our eyes in trust to the high places, whether worship altars on mountain tops, or the sun, moon, and stars, the Maker of all things is watching over us. Travelers who would come and go would carry symbols of the powers they worshiped to ward off evil during their travels. This “Travelers’ Psalm” reminds us that superstition and fear can be replaced with worship of the Maker of heaven and earth. Five times this psalm reminds us that God has his eyes on us, the God who created all things watches over his covenant people. The Lord will keep us from all harm. What do we trust in, both at home and away? What powers are we lifting our eyes to? Are we aware that God’s eyes are on us? “Father God, my li...